Batting practice device



April 30, 1968 s. J. PAPP 3,380,738

BATTING PRACTICE DEVICE Filed Oct. 30. 1964 Sfephen J- Papp 1N VEN TOR.

BY @maafiu United States Patent 3,386,738 BATTING PRACTICE DEVICE Stephen J. Papp, 5655 W. 2nd Ave, Denver, Colo. 80226 Filed Oct. 3-0, 1964, Ser. No. 407,774 4 Claims. (Cl. 273-26) ABSTRACT GF THE DESLGSURE A hollow barrel provides a handle whose groundsupported end has a free turning and tilting rest. A tethering line is provided at its outer end with a ball. The inner end is connected with a sliding weight. In use, a player stands by and vigorously tilts and rotates the tethered ball. As the speed of rotating and titling is increased centrifugal forces act on and pull the weight up and vary the orbital path of the ball. One or more players bat the ball. A significant feature has to do with recovering the ball after it has been grounded. The counterweight retracts the line so that play can be resumed.

The present invention relates to amusement and game playing devices and has reference, more particularly, to a batting practice device, that is, a device wherein a tethered ball is caused to sweep around in an orbital path in a manner that it can be struck with a hat or a racket much to the amusement and recreation of the participants.

The general objective and purpose of the present invention is to permit the tethered hall to be manipulated and controlled in a manner which is significantly and advantageously different from ball-throwing and batting apparatus known to be old in this line of endeavor. As exemplary of prior art adaptations reference may be made to the practice device of Conway shown in Patent 2,751,226 and particularly designed and adapted for playground use and with competitive results in mind and characterized by a vertical standard or post, a captive ball and a tethering line flexibly attaching said line to the top of the standard with appropriate line-swivelling means. This idea of using a whirl-around tethered captive ball for batting practice is shown too in a patent to Rankin, 2,547,776, which, while directed primarily to a ball throwing adaptation, resembles the present invention in that the standard instead of being fixed is in the form of a manipulatable reach pole. The present invention pertains to an advance in this art which is possessed of meritorious characteristics ensuring an improved result.

In carrying out the present invention the Vertically elongated mast or upright is preferably in the form of a manually maneuverahle staff-like handle. This part is of hollow construction and defines a barrel which in turn provides a cylinder for a rise-and-fall type weight, said weight having the inner cooperating end of the tethering line attached thereto so that when an endwise pull on the line is achieved by centrifugal forces exerted thereon by the captive ball the attached portion of the line is permitted to extend and retract to change the orbital path of the ball.

Another improvement resides on the provision at the upper end of the barrel or cylinder of an attached bushing having anti-friction surfaces and also provided on its inner end with an end thrust cushion for the ascending weight.

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The invention also features a relatively heavy bottom rest having a portion plugged into the lower end of the barrel and having an extending portion which is of conical form and which constitutes a supporting, axial turning and tilting base.

Then, too, novelty is predicated on the tethering line which has an inner elongated main line and an outer auxiliary line, the latter provided on its free end with a captive ball and the adjacent ends of the two lines being connected together by a link which in practice constitutes a satisfactory swivel and accordingly prevents undesirable line doubling and twisting.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a view on a relatively small scale and appearing in perspective and showing the manually held and manipulatable handle-like staff, the extended weight retracted tethering line, the captive ball, and indicating the orbital path in which the ball would normally travel if forcibly struck, in a clockwise direction, for example with a hat or racket.

FIG. 2 is a view in side elevation and on a larger scale and wherein the inner end portion of the tethering line is retracted, that is, withdrawn into the cylinder or hollow portion of the barrel.

FIG. 3 is a view on a larger scale with parts appearing in section and elevation and wherein all of the principal component parts are shown in the manner in which they are constructed and structurally and functionally adapted for use FIG. 4 is a view on an intermediate scale showing the upper end portion of the handle or barrel with a portion broken away to expose the liftable and lowerable weight.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective View showing the main and auxiliary components of the tethering line and the manner in which the adjacent ends are coupled or linked together.

And FIG. 6 is a View in section based on FIG. 5 and taken on the plane of the section line 66 of FIG. 5.

Referring now to the views of the drawing, the portable and bodily movable (tiltable and rotatable) staff-like handle is denoted at 8 and preferably comprises an elongated open-ended tube or barrel of some eight feet more or less in height and one inch or less in cross section. This handle is intended to be positioned perpendicularly in the manner sug ested in FIG. 1 and then rotated and tilted in the manner suggested by the indicating arrows. It will be understood that this barrel may be of onepiece construction if so desired and although it is generally cylindrical in cross-sectional shape it will be understood that it could be noncircular if so desired. In any event the hollow portion thereof constitutes an elongated cylinder 10' for an elongated rise and fall weight 12. This weight is of suitable length and mass and preferably has an axial bore 14 extending therethrough to accommodate an attachable end portion 16 at the inner end of the main tethering line denoted as an entity by the numeral 18. This inner end portion passes through the bore, and has a knotted terminal 20 secured against a retaining washer 22 abutting the bottom of the weight. The normal median portion of this line is retracted and stored in the cylinder and is retractable and projectable through the axial bore 24 of a bushing 26 fitted into the upper end 28 of the barrel and is secured by countersunk screws or the like 30. An upper end portion 32 of the bushing projects above the upper end of the tubular handle and this portion has its inner peripheral surfaces convexly bevelled as at 34 to provide a smooth surface over which the extensible and withdrawable line can slide in a self-evident manner. The upper portion of the cylinder 10 has an expansible and compressible rubber or equivalent stop collar 36 arranged therein and affixed to the inner end of the bushing or sleeve, the opening 38 in said collar registering with the passage or bore 24 to allow free action of the main tethering line. The auxiliary part or outer end of the tethering line is denoted at 40 and is provided on its free end with a suitably constructed and suitably attached captive ball 42 which in practice is intended to be struck with a baseball bat, racket or the like. This auxiliary line has an inner end portion 44 (FIG. 6) passing through a hole 46 provided in one end of a connecting link 48, the terminal end being fashioned into a knot 5% bearing against a wear resisting washer 52. There is a similar washer 54 at the other end of the link lined up with a hole 56 to permit passage of the end portion 58 of the main tethering line, the terminal of the line being formed into a retaining knot 60. This knotted linked connection between the two main and auxiliary lines provides a satisfactory swivel and prolongs the life of the ball. In actual practice a special ball, not to be described in detail here, is used.

The other feature of the invention has to do with the base means which is denoted generally by the numeral 62 and which as shown in FIG. 3 comprises a satisfactorily heavy support, centering, turning and tilting rest. Actually this comprises a plug 64 which is plugged into the bottom of the tubular handle and is shouldered and fastened in place as at 66. The depending portion of the plug is fashioned into a conical point 68 whose apical end is denoted at 79. This end is intended to rest for free turning on the ground or other surface in the manner suggested in FIG. 1. The tapering surfaces of the cone permit the handle to be rocked bodily and tilted left, right, forwardly and rearwardly depending on how the attendant-of-thehandle desires to keep the batting participants guessing.

The line swivelling means is located some three feet more or less from the captive ball. Experience has shown that when the ball is hit with a spinning motion it invariably releases the centrifugal pull on the swivelling means which in turn minimizes the likelihood of undesirable twisting and breakage of the over-all tethering line.

In use it will be understood that when the player or person at the position of the handle means 3 stands beside it in the manner suggested in FIG. 1 the blunt-pointed fulcrum 70 is on the ground or other surface and the conical surfaces of the base 62 allow him to turn, even spin, the long handle as is usually the case in a clockwise direction. On the other hand, it will be permissible to turn the handle in a counterclockwise direction. While turning the staff or handle it can be tilted left or right or in any other desired direction with the result that the ball and tethering line are allowed to act on the rise and fall weight 12 and to gradually pull it up from the normal down position in FIG. 2 to the up position in FIG. 4 whereupon the major portion of the tethering line, the components 18 and an, coact in assuming the extended ready-to-play position shown in PEG, 1. As the speed of the rotated tilted handle is increased the centrifugal force of the circling ball pulls the counterbalancin-g weight to the top of the cylinder which doubles the radius of the balls circling motion. In practice the line may be approximately twice as long as said handle (see FlG. 2) and this prescribed length and pay out and take in action and motion permits one or more persons with bats to swing at the ball much as though it were being thrown by a pitcher. With a hard hit the ball merely reverses direction of travel and can then be hit back and forth in alternating directions until grounded. It has been found that one of the most significant aspects of the concept is recovering the ball, that is to cause it to resume a circling motion after it has been grounded. The person rotating the tube merely tilts it towards the grounded ball and the counterweight retracts the excess line until the centrifugal force of the ball again pulls the line.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the' inven tion as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A batting practice device comprising an elongated hollow barrel providing a manually maneuverable stafflike handle, the hollow portion of said barrel providing a vertically elongated cylinder, ground-engaging, fulcruming and tilting means, a weight confined and vertically reciprocable in said cylinder, an elongated tethering line having an inner end thereof extending into the upper end of the hollow portion of said barrel and connected at its terminal end to said weight and operable in conjunction with the weight, an auxiliary line portion provided at an outer free end thereof with a captive practice ball, means linking and swivelly connecting adjacent ends of the respective lines to each other, said ground-engaging and tilting means comprising a ground contacting rest fixed to the lower end of said barrel, said rest having a downwardly tapering conical point whose apical lower end is adapted to rotate and gyrate, said tethering line and said auxiliary line together being approximately twice as long as said handle so that when the device is at rest a significant portion of the line is retracted and drawn into the hollow portion of said barrel but is adapted to be pulled upon and withdrawn when said ball is in flight and the then existing centrifugal forces are simultaneously acting upon the tethering line and weight, a bushing fitted in the upper end of said handle, said bushing having a bore through which a portion of the line is freely slidable, said bushing being further provided on an inner enclosed end with a compressibly resilient collar, said collar constituting a bumper for an adjacent end of said weight.

2. A batting practice device comprising a vertically elongated hollow barrel constituting a manually manipulable handle, the hollow portion of said barrel providing a cylinder, said barrel having a lower end provided with a fixed ground contacting rest capable of supporting the barrel and permitting it to be rotated and tilted by one of the players, a bushing fixed in the upper end portion of said barrel, an elongated weight confined and reciprocable in said cylinder, said rest providing a closure for the lower end of said cylinder and also a limit stop for the downward sliding movement of said weight and said bushing providing a second limit stop for the upward sliding movement of said weight and being provided on its enclosed inner end with a compressibly resilient collar constituting a bumper for said weight, an elongated tethering line havin an inner end portion threaded through the bore of said bushing into said cylinder and operatively connected to said weight, said weight being of a length significantly less than the length of said cylinder, a relatively short line complemental to said tethering line and provided at an outer end with a captive ball, and a link operatively unitin adjacent ends of said lines, said tethering line and said short line together being approximately twice as long as said cylinder so that when the device is at rest with the weight settled at the bottom of the cylinder a. substantial portion of said tethering line is retracted into said cylinder in readiness to being withdrawn when the handle is being properly operated.

3. The device according to claim 2, and wherein said link is provided at one end with a first hole through which the outer end of said tethering line is passed and knotted and held in place and is provided at its other end with a second hole through which the inner end of said short line is passed and likewise knotted and held in place.

4. The device according to claim 2, and wherein said weight is provided with an axial bore extending therethrongh, the inner end portion of said tethering line being threaded downwardly through said axial bore and connected to a washer, said Washer being interposed between the aforementioned rest and weight and abutting the lower end of the Weight.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,134,32 10/1938 Dickson 273-26 2,547,776 4/1951 Rankin 273--95 2,606,025 8/1952 Hornig 273-26 2,958,156 11/1960 Schmahl et al. 4651 3,166,317 1/1965 Turnelson 273-26 3,301,552 1/1967 Ryan 27280 ANTON O. OECHSLE, Primary Examiner.

R. J. APLEY, Assistant Examiner. 

